 By unspoken agreement, Zie had been watching the Shadows while Davs kept an eye on the road. The roiling mass of darkness kept to the trees, surging to the left, then to the right again as if searching for a way across the water. Zie’s grip on the ancient battlements of the tower was the only thing keeping him from collapsing in a panic-stricken heap.
He had to bite back a shriek when Davs seized his shoulder. “There. Just coming over the rise.” With his spyglass to his eye, Davs pointed up the road. “There’s our Ess. He’s brought a sylvas with him. Let’s hope she’s a mahk.” Zie squinted at the road, struggling to make anything out in the last light of dusk. Ess rode in front, identifiable by their dark braids flying in the rising wind. A smaller figure thundered behind, bent close to their edlak’s neck. That would be whoever Ess had brought from the sylvas compounds. But the third figure made no sense to Zie, with a misshapen hump on their back. “Who is the third rider?” Davs moved his spyglass and heaved an irritated sigh. “For fuck’s sake, Ess. Why would you bring Rolli, of all useless people?” “Who is he?” Zie leaned over the tower’s stones as if that would help him see better. “A bard of our acquaintance. Human. Expert in being a nuisance.” Davs’ voice had sunk to a bass growl, his words clipped and short. Part of that was most likely worry over Ess, which Zie understood with every jangled nerve in his body, though Davs seemed to truly dislike this Rolli person. “There. They’ve spotted the beacon.” Davs handed over the spyglass so Zie could get a better view. Essenin had halted them on the road, gesturing and pointing while they spoke urgently to their two companions. After a short debate, the edlaks wheeled away from the Shadows and Essenin took them down to the path that ran around the lake, but in the opposite direction. “He’s going to try to cross on the other side of the island,” Zie murmured. “If they can do it quickly…” “That’s it, love.” Davs murmured as he moved around the tower to track their progress. “Just keep ahead of them.” “The Shadows are moving.” Zie clutched Davs’ arm, whispering as if the things could hear him. “They’ve seen. Oh, Ess. Hurry.” But there were only so many places the edlaks could safely navigate down the steep embankment to the lakeshore. The monsters had spotted their prey now and had called the wind to speed their pursuit. “Do you think they know?” Davs asked just as quietly now. “Do they sense sylvas?” Zie swallowed hard, twice, before he could choke out, “They know. Not scent or actual sight, but they know.” The Shadows were closing ground far too swiftly, though Ess had found a safe way to the bank and was leading them down at a precipitous pace. Zie was certain it would only be through a local goddess watching over them that the edlaks managed without breaking a leg. They were down, the Shadows on the heels of the last mount in line. The human bard made the mistake of turning to look and nearly fell off his edlak in horror. He probably cried out, since the others turned toward him. Zie wanted to shout at them not to stop. Keep riding! They don’t want him! He couldn’t swear that they would never harm a human, though. He knew why Essenin, so much more courageous than he was, had stopped. The sylvas rider vaulted from the saddle and faced the Shadows. Both hands came up and light flared, then exploded along the shoreline, a calling of light so brilliant that Zie had to squint through his fingers. The Shadows’ enraged shrieks cut through the night, carried on their evil winds across the water. The sound sliced through Zie’s heart. Essenin had dismounted now, too. Waving their arms, gesticulating and most likely yelling at the human who seemed confused or terror stricken. Finally, Ess got their point across and the human, Rolli, grabbed up the reins of the loose edlaks and urged them into the water. The poor beasts needed little encouragement to flee toward the island. They tossed their heads and surged through the shallows in a mad dash to escape the horrible Shadow screams. Of course, Essenin didn’t follow. Naturally not while the mahk held off a horde of monsters with nothing but a light spell. Essenin put an arm around her waist and while still facing the Shadows, backed them both toward the water. They appeared to be arguing. “They better have a plan,” Davs said through gritted teeth. “And not the usual Essenin kind that’s mostly I’ll figure it out as we go.” “They’re going to use the water,” Zie pointed to where the waves appeared to be in conflict, trying to land on and rush away from the shore at the same time. When the churning waves touched Essenin’s bootheels, they raised their hand as well. The water surged forward even as the Shadows’ wind strove to force it back. Slowly, slowly, Essenin was winning. Beside him, the mahk stumbled. The light flickered and strengthened again, once, then twice. Holding such bright light was exhausting, Zie knew all too well, and even the strongest mage could only manage for so long. Zie gave the spyglass back, a terrible anxiety growing within him. Ess backed them into the water, ankle deep now, neither one of them apparently willing to turn their backs on the Shadows. More words, possibly angry ones, flew back and forth between them. Finally, the mahk released the light and stumbled into the water, barely managing a wave run over the now wind-tossed lake. Alone now on the shore, Essenin held the Shadows at bay with the water at their command. The Shadows crept closer and closer still as Ess struggled to keep the waterline from receding as the howling shadow winds battered the water. Another step back. Another. But Essenin was struggling now, the Shadows whispers all too obviously calling to him. “No, no, no!” Zie shouted. “Dive into the waves! Go!” The winds tore his words away and he rushed for the tower stairs, barely aware of Davs calling after him. The fortress raced by in a blur as he sprinted for the shore, leaping fallen masonry and low-lying scrub. By the time he reached the sandspit where Rolli was just hauling the edlaks onto the island, Essenin had stopped backing up. They stood with their arms spread wide, terribly still. The Shadows mirrored them, the restless darkness gone eerily still. “Essenin!” Zie screamed and was about to throw himself onto the surface of the lake when strong arms caught him and lifted him off his feet. “No, no! Let me go!” “Have you lost your mind?” Davs bellowed in his ear. With a roar of a hundred thousand voices, the Shadow wind struck, knocking them all to the ground and sweeping the water back from the far shore so that Essenin stood only on sand. For one, heart piercing moment, the cataract of Shadows rose, poised directly over Essenin. Then, with a horrific shriek, the Shadows fell upon them, driving through their skin, through their skull, vanishing within until only Essenin remained, their limbs jerking, the light drained from their eyes. Possessed.
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Please leave a message at the beep... Fine. Of course I'm here. Online is portable, after all.
A brief check in since I'm visiting my sister in the Virginia mountains. Shadow Run, which I started writing because I wasn't writing, has hit 30 episodes. I honestly thought it would be quite short. A short story. Perhaps a novelette. Ha. We'll see where we are when it's done. I apologize in advance for any cliffhanger episodes as we reach the dramatic climax. Rarely Pure and Never Simple is on track for a June 28 release. Hooray! From the Noblest Motives is swiftly approaching 50K - and is nowhere near done. I'm not even going to try to estimate a word count this time. I'm thinking around 65K? We shall see. The old fortress wasn’t across a continent, but even the short distance felt too far for Essenin. They pushed the edlaks to the fastest pace they could safely maintain. It would be both stupid and cruel to ask for more just to gain an hour or two. Still, every nerve in Essenin’s body screamed that they would arrive too late.
During an uphill climb where they needed to walk the edlaks, Ke pulled up to ride beside Essenin. “Where are they, that they feel is safe to stop?” “There’s a lake about a day and a half’s ride away still. Deep water. Would take maybe two hours to row across.” Essenin shifted in their saddle to help Sidle with the incline. “In the middle, there’s an island with an old ruined fortress.” “Wonderful,” Ke muttered. “They’ve gone to ground at Haiernas. Between the ghosts and the ruins, I’d hardly call that safe.” Essenin shrugged. “We’ve camped there before. Some parts are more stable than others and the occasional ghost didn’t bother us.” Ke shot them a look that could only have been called judgmental. “Oh, to be spirit blind. Haiernas Keep retains all the violence and fear of its ruin. There are far more than occasional ghosts.” “You know the history, then?” Essenin tried to keep their voice light, but a chill stole over their heart. If a mahk was more sensitive to spirits, what had they sent Zie into? How bad would this be for him? “Your bard would most likely know more.” Ke nodded to Rolli, who had dismounted to lead his stubborn, balking edlak up the slope. “It was before any sylvas stepped foot on Cau Senis shores. Before the imperium put an end to local feuds and land wars.” “But still, you know what happened.” “The barest bones of the story.” She stopped her sturdy edlak at the top of the rise to wait for Rolli. “A warlord had been rolling through the old lord’s lands in that area. One vassal after another forced to surrender. One stronghold after another besieged and conquered. From what I’ve heard, the aging lord retreated to his last reliable vassal at Haiernas.” Essenin cringed. “Which doomed them.” “You’re a quick one.” Ke snorted. “Yes. They say the siege lasted three years, though that’s probably a storyteller’s exaggeration.” “We never exaggerate.” Rolli said in his driest tone as he climbed back onto Bramble’s back. “The ballads say three years. Historical documents say maybe eight months. Still horrible.” “Oh, so you know about this fortress, too?” Essenin huffed. “You could’ve said.” “One, you didn’t ask. And two, I thought you knew.” Ke flapped a hand at him. “You finish the tale then, bard. Since all I have is pieces.” “My pleasure.” Rolli pulled his sewa around and started tuning it. Essenin hurried to stop him. “Ah. No, Rolls. No ballads, please. Just tell me. Briefly. As close to the facts as you can.” “Fine.” Rolli shot him a quick glare, then slumped in the saddle. “The quick, boring version is that the mistress of Haiernas sent most of her ishai out to get help from neighboring allies. They never came back. The siege went on too long and the defenses failed. Lots of slaughter and so on. The place has been deserted ever since because it’s too eerie to live there with the ghosts.” “Wonderful. Just perfect.” The anxious knot in Essenin’s stomach decided it was a mass of snakes instead. “Now Zie, who has been a bundle of traumatized nerves since we met him, will have the extra horror of camping in the middle of a ghost siege.” “Eh, you didn’t know.” Ke urged her edlak to a faster pace again. “The island is the best defensible place against these Shadows. It will give me time to get to the bottom of what happened in the north.” They veered onto the main road again that evening and spent the night out under the stars. The mild early summer weather made it no hardship, but Essenin had sunk too far into worry that they didn’t sleep beyond a few minutes anxious dreaming here and there. They finally got up in the hour before dawn after a dream of Davitts and Zie being ripped apart while the Shadows laughed. Essenin needed the whole hour, with the sky turning from deep blue to rose gold, in order to calm their racing heart, the dream had been that vivid, that real. They’re both fine. You’ll get there and swim the edlaks to the island and the most that may have happened is that Zie kicked Davs for snoring too loud. Still, once they broke camp and were back on the road, Essenin urged them to a swifter pace. They were closer now and something in Essenin’s gut told them reaching the lake by nightfall was crucial. Fretting when the edlaks had to walk and snapping at their travel companions didn’t help a thing, but every mile it was harder to stay level-headed and patient. Finally, as the sun was setting, they rode around the turn that showed them the lake glittering in the valley below. Essenin kicked Sidle into a gallop, bent low across her neck. Soon the island came into sight—the island, the watchtower. Oh gods. Essenin reined in so abruptly that Sidle reared and nearly threw him. “What is it?” Ke called out as she caught up to him. They pointed to the bright flames atop the tower, the signal they’d arranged with Davs. “We’re too late. The Shadows are already here.” Davitts tried his best to keep Zie occupied. During the day, this was easier. The general tasks that came with making camp anywhere kept them busy. Gathering tubers and berries. Searching the island for firewood. Doing a little sling hunting. Fishing, though one could only eat so many of the same lake fish.
None of it was enough to distract Zie from his anxious thoughts. He chewed on his claws and was incapable of sitting still for more than a few minutes. At night, he wandered the haunted ruins, and came back to Davitts wide-eyed and shivering. What he’d seen and heard, he wouldn’t say. That evening, they’d set up their cookfire on the beach and Zie had made a stew of the fisher bird Davitts had gotten with a lucky shot that afternoon. Full and as content as two worried people could be, Davitts sat with his back against a fallen log and Zie between his thighs, snuggled back against his chest, for once mostly still. “Was Essenin a terrible child?” Zie asked as he traced lines on Davitts’ forearm. “Oh, probably.” “You don’t know?” Davitts chuckled. “I didn’t know them well as a child. We grew up in the same town and our families certainly had dealings with each other, but we lived at Mama’s shop in town and Ess lived with their family nearer the harbor. Different friend groups. Different learning creches. But I imagine they were a handful. Into everyone’s business. Probably hard to keep their attention on one thing.” “Easy to picture. And you?” “I was a good child, for the most part. Eager to help. Reliable. Maybe not always the quickest or the brightest.” Zie turned in his arms, frowning. “I’m sure you do yourself a disservice.” “Maybe. But unlike Ess, I was rarely in trouble. Not until I got older and became more interested in weapons than in the family mercantile business. Mama didn’t approve of that.” Davitts wrapped his arms around Zie and gave him a squeeze. The little mahk was obviously trying to distract himself and the last thing Davitts wanted to do was ask questions about his childhood. “Weapons. That’s where I got to know Ess.” Zie turned to lean against Davitt’s raised knee. “What does that mean?” “We both attended Rakon’s. That’s the training house in town. Classes for all manner of combat.” Davitts blew out a slow breath as he recalled the volcanic argument his wanting to attend had set off. “Ess’s family sponsored them without question. It’s what they wanted. My Da convinced my mother that she had enough children for the business, and it would do no good to keep the few whose passions lay elsewhere. His words.” “But they, ah, sponsored you?” Zie asked, giving the impression that he had no idea what sponsoring meant in that context. “A couple of my aunties actually did the sponsoring. Mama wasn’t throwing money away so I could die violently. Her words.” Davitts loved his mother, but the years he’d spent training, things had been tense between them. “Ess and I were already taller than most of the other kids, so we were paired up for things like sword class.” “But you don’t carry a sword.” “It’s not my weapon of choice, but I can use one. Ess is better, though again, not their favorite.” Davitts couldn’t help a smile, remembering Ess huffing and swearing through fencing drills all those years ago. “Anyway, that’s how we became friends. Smacking each other with practice blades.” Zie actually snickered, the happiest sound from him in days. “I’m sad to have missed it.” “We can try to recreate it for you sometime—” Davitts cut off when Zie bolted straight up and stumbled toward the shoreline. The chill in his heart told him the answer, but he still asked, “Zie? Sweetheart, what is it?” “They’re here.” Zie’s voice came out a strangled whisper. “Across the water. In the trees. They’ve come for me. And Ess is out there still.” In the fading light, Davitts struggled to make out anything in the trees besides a dark mass of branches. He pulled out his spyglass and searched the treetops, noting how the trees bent with the breeze off the lake. Except some of the trees bent in the wrong direction, disturbed, jostled. There.. Dark shadows moving independent of any object, moving toward the lake. “Come on.” Davitts gripped Zie’s shoulder and gave him a little shake. “We have to get on top of the tower and light our beacon. Ess will know what it means and I won’t have those things surprising them when they get here.” When Ke of clan Skita arrived, Essenin had just finished a second, absolutely glorious honeycake and a cup of singe-blossom tea, and was nearly feeling relaxed and comfortable. Ke’s thunderous expression turned the tea and cakes in their stomach into stones.
She was large for a sylvas, perhaps half a hand taller than Zie, with her sleeveless shirt emphasizing her broad shoulders and heavily-muscled arms. While not as old as Ulla Tzak, white streaked her black braids and time had carved lines around her eyes and mouth. An imposing figure under any circumstances, but she was also clearly furious. Her initial shouted flurry of words were all directed at Ulla Tzak. Essenin didn’t catch much beyond a few shockingly rude phrases. Beside him, Rolli paled and looked like he was trying to shrink into the cushions. Ulla Tzak bore the verbal assault without a single change of expression, calmly sipping her tea. Finally, she interrupted in trade language. “The perpetrator isn’t here, Ke. It sounds as if their identity is unknown. While I agree with you that whoever summoned the shaktz should be—” For a moment, she only spoke sharp sylvas words and Essenin could only imagine what horrors they described. “—but the reality of their coming to our shores isn’t served by eviscerating some idiot we can’t find.” Ke paced, arms wrapped tight around her ribs. “Every sylvas is in peril once the shaktz stop following their prey. Once they kill the one that escaped them, they will hunt for more. We should begin the evacuation now.” “And what would that do, besides delay them?” Ulla Tzak sipped at her tea, the sorrow in her eyes belying her apparent indifference. “They’ve already shown they can cross the sea.” That stopped Ke’s pacing. “How is it that they are so clever? The passages naming them always describe them as mindless.” Ulla Tzak shrugged. “It may have to do with the summoner. One that was too clever for their own good.” “It’s possible. The instances of summoning are so few and so far in the past, there may well have been variations in characteristics.” Ke’s voice softened from sharp to rumbling. She was a scholar, it occurred to Essenin, and her mind had turned quickly to puzzle solving. “I need to speak to this tenacious young male who has managed to keep ahead of the monsters.” “Zie will want desperately to meet with you,” Essenin offered, thinking it might be safe to intrude on the conversation. “He’s powerful and a mahk himself, but from what I understand, he had no older mahk to teach him. He’s felt so lost.” Ke turned to address them directly for the first time. “A tragedy, when a young one has no guidance. How did they let this happen over there?” “I couldn’t say.” Essenin shook their head regretfully. “Though I have the impression that relations between clans were more, ah, difficult back home than they seem to be here.” Ke’s eyes narrowed and Essenin had an anxious moment thinking she would refuse. Then she shook her head and settled on the cushions near Ulla Tzak. “Maybe you should tell me, young selak, how you came to advocate for a fugitive mahk.” Again Essenin told the story, more carefully this time, doing their best to recall everything Zie had said, all they had witnessed since meeting him. Ke kept her intense gaze mostly on the teapot, only lifting her attention to Essenin to stop them for a question or clarification here and there. A hard smile twitched at her lips when they reached the part where Zie had held the Shadows off on the beach and again when Zie led the monsters onto the shoals. When the story finished, she remained silent and still. Essenin was about to ask the question, would she come with them, when she smacked her palms against her thighs. Rolli twitched and jerked back at the sound. Poor Rolls. Essenin hadn’t even considered how nervous he might become during a more detailed telling. “A resourceful youngster, your Zie,” Ke said as she stood. “And brave despite himself, apparently, purposefully leading the shaktz away from sylvas lands. I’ll come with you, and we’ll hope that his cunning keeps him alive until we reach him.” “Thank you,” Essenin barely breathed out the words, they were so relieved. “Thank you so much. Whenever you’re ready to go, I’ll take you there as quickly as I can.” “A double handful of minutes, no more. Get your mount ready and I’ll join you at the threshold.” Ke strode off with purpose, hopefully to procure a mount of her own. Sidle wasn’t big enough to carry them both. The threshold was apparently the line of white rocks that marked the entrance to the compound. Essenin waited for Ke there while Rolli fidgeted uncomfortably with Bramble’s harness. “It was good to see you again,” Essenin said in an effort to break the painfully awkward silence. “Ess…” Rolli fidgeted a bit more and finally blurted out, “I’m coming with you.” “Um. The fuck you are.” Essenin patted the air with both hands, trying to soften their words. “It’s too dangerous. And there’s no reason for you to. Your first instinct was the right one, the one where you ride away in the other direction.” “Right. I know. Cowards survive to face another day.” Rolli sighed. “But, Ess. Listen. You’re my…my friend if nothing else. It feels wrong deserting you. Besides, this all feels like it would make the best ballad. You need someone to write this down for your grandchildren.” Bards. “Probably one of the dumbest reasons I’ve ever heard to risk your neck. But it’s your neck and you’re a grown person. It’s not as if I can forbid you to go.” Rolli’s smile transformed the weary lines of his face, the years falling away and leaving Essenin with the impression of an excited puppy. “I won’t make you regret it, promise. I won’t get in the way or cause issues with Davs. This will be so thrilling. And scary. And thrillingly scary.” Goddesses save me, but he really is an endearing idiot. Essenin could only hope that they weren’t leading this particular idiot to his death. The sound of hoofbeats heralded Ke’s arrival on one of the biggest, shaggiest edlaks Essenin had ever seen, its black coat gleaming in the sun. “On your mounts. The shaktz may already be ahead of us.” On that cheerful note, they rode back down the hill while Essenin tried his best not to imagine the terrible things that might have happened up ahead. The sylvas on this continent were definitely less reclusive than the ones back home had been. There, one might come across a sylvas merchant traveling with goods every few years or so. Here, a sylvas family had set up a vegetable stand right beside the road as they started into the hills.
For the day’s second surprise, one that nearly left Essenin’s jaw in the dust of the road, Rolli dismounted and spoke to the vegetable sellers. Not the shocking part. Rolli would talk to anyone. But he spoke in sylvas, in a particular dialect of sylvas that Essenin had never heard. Rolli wandered back over munching on a taya fruit, the purple juice running down his chin. He stopped when he saw Essenin staring. “What? She thought I looked too thin.” “I’m not shocked by your ability to make maternal people pity you. But since when have you spoken any sylvas?” “Since always.” Rolli waved the taya for emphasis. “Fine. Not always. I learned early on. The merchants all speak trade, but they’re kinder to you if you make the effort in their own language.” “Uh-huh. And what did you talk about?” “Oh. Yes. I was asking if they knew if the Tzak matriarch was at home. She is, so we’ll head up to the compound.” Rolli took a last bite of taya, gazed at it mournfully as if wishing it would regenerate, and tossed the pit. “It’s not far.” After a few minutes riding along the main road, they turned onto a steep and narrow track that led up into the hills. Here, the dust of the road gave way to stone and determined scrub plants that clung to every possible surface. To Essenin’s eyes, the track vanished entirely, but Rolli kept going. They had to hope that Rolli actually knew where he was going. Around a curve in the trail, the Tzak compound suddenly appeared. Essenin knew it was a clever use of the planes and curves of the landscape, but the not-here then here of a village of stone felt uncomfortably close to magic. They’d only encountered sylvas settlements previously in drawings and stories. Neither did the architecture justice. Southerners like Essenin tended to think of the sylvas as tribal, loosely related clans living in their isolated compounds in the far north. If the sylvas compounds back home had been anything like this? Anyone who had seen them would never think of the sylvas as half-feral again. Most of the buildings were partially built into the hillside, stone arches both round and pointed, soaring columns that held up porticos and promenades, stepped buildings of seven and eight stories—and not a seam in sight. As impressive as the buildings were the gardens, both terraced and hanging, an abundance of fruits and flowers everywhere. Doubtful that the northern clans had managed all the outside vegetation, but perhaps they had grown indoor gardens instead. They thought of asking Zie, but realized that would be cruel, expecting him to talk about a home that had been destroyed. I hope they’re both all right. That the Shadows haven’t caught up yet and that they’re not quarreling. Though it seemed more likely that Davs would be making sure Zie ate enough and didn’t have nightmares. Mother of waves, Essenin missed them. When they had reached a spot in the path where a line of white pebbles lay embedded across the road, Rolli stopped and dismounted. Puzzled, Essenin followed his example. “We can’t just barge in,” Rolli answered the question they hadn’t asked. “Rude. And we might get skewered if the young people on watch are jumpy.” “Ah. Skewering wasn’t on my list of things to do today, so thank you for that.” They waited while Sidle walked to the end of her reins and started munching on a bush and Bramble shifted nervously from hoof to hoof. The wait ended up being short and soon two heavily armed young sylvas were escorting them into the compound. Weapons stayed sheathed, but the message of threaten our clan and you die was quite clear. Their silent guides took them not to one of the largest buildings, but to a modest house with a single doorway and a balcony on the second floor. Vines cascaded from the balcony, bright with pink and deep red flowers that gave the house a cheerful, welcoming face. Rolli knocked on the doorframe and stuck his head inside. “Ulla Tzak?” Even while standing on the front step, Essenin could’ve sworn they heard a deep sigh from inside the house. Of course, that was a common reaction to Rolli, so they weren’t shocked. Footsteps clomped toward them and soon the oldest sylvas Essenin had ever met was frowning up at Rolli. She pointed a claw at him and said something sharp. Rolli gestured toward Essenin and said something that sounded conciliatory. Ulla Tzak—Essenin was unsure if this was a name or a title—turned her sharp eyes on them. Deep purple eyes, like Zie’s, though her hair was frost white. “Young selak. Are you his lover?” “Me? No. He’s just a guide.” Essenin felt bad about being so dismissive, but he didn’t want anyone getting the wrong impression. “Good. Don’t be. He is not a responsible human.” She rapped her knuckles against the hall table three times. “Now. Tell me.” Essenin blinked at the abruptness of the demand, but he wasn’t speaking to selak aunties. He had to remember that. He told her, more of a summation than a story, about Zie and the Shadows, and the need for an older mahk. Her expression became more worried with every sentence. When he’d finished, she stared at a point on the floor, speaking softly. “The shaktz haven’t been summoned in my memory or my grandmother’s. They were only stories. We have a mahk. Only one. But she is far too young.” “Is there an older mahk?” Essenin asked while his heart sank to his feet. “Someone who might be willing to help?” “I can’t promise another clan’s help, child. But Ke is here from Skita to help train our mahk. Maybe she will hear you.” Ulla Tzak snapped at the youngsters hovering in the doorway and they both ran off, presumably to carry the message. She shook her head and waved toward the interior of the house. “Come and sit. Keep me company while we wait.” Ah, good. Hospitality. Essenin hoped that meant she was on their side. He followed her in, determined to be charming and polite so she wouldn’t change her mind. “Where did you go last night?” Davs’ voice was even and mild as he said it, but he didn’t look up from the porridge he was cooking them for breakfast. Possibly not the best sign.
Zie tapped his claws on his knees, uncertain how much to say and annoyed that he wasn’t nearly as sneaky as he thought. “The fortress is…” Packed with ghosts. You slept through an entire battle. “Quite haunted. It makes me restless.” “Oh.” Davs glanced up, his brow furrowed in concern. “Is it worse when you have magic? I see a ghost or two here from time to time, but I have the feeling you saw more than two.” “It can make one more sensitive.” Zie shrugged and pulled his knees up to his chest. “Sometimes I need to concentrate, but hauntings that occur at a scene of great violence are simply there.” “If you need to wake me up, any time at all, don’t hesitate.” Davs was kind enough not to say if you’re scared, but Zie thought the implication was clear enough. He leaned over and gave Davs a quick kiss on the cheek. “Ghosts are only frightening if they hate you. Happily, these have no idea I’m even there.” At least so far. They spent the day foraging and fishing—Davs with a pole he fashioned from a willow branch and a vine, and Zie with his hands, which Davs found fascinating. Zie even allowed himself to feel a little smug that he’d caught three nice lake smee to Davs one shadehopper. They had sex on the floor of their tower after dinner with Zie riding Davs’ cock. This was lovely, but they both confessed that they missed Ess. Davs held him tenderly, stroking his hair until he fell into the wonderful, dreamless sleep he was able to achieve in Davs’ arms. He woke several hours later to Davs shaking him gently. “Your watch. Are you awake?” “Mostly.” For a moment, Zie entertained the thought of putting his head in Davs’ lap and going back to sleep. That would’ve been unfair, though. Davs looked so tired. He wrapped his arms around Davs’ neck for a quick hug. “Go to sleep. I have this.” Soon enough, Davs’ breathing settled into sleep and Zie spread a blanket over him before heading down the tower. A fog had come up over the lake bringing a damp chill with it. The half-moon struggled to shine through the mist, its glow diffused and tattered. He’d left it a little later that night, wanting to wait until the battle had fully commenced. He’d timed it well, the battle already raging in the courtyard when he reached it, the doors shattered, the defenders dying. He skirted the edges along the courtyard wall heading for the partially ruined tower on the other side and waited near the doorway where he’d seen the specter in robes. It would be soon. Nearby, the taur combatants crashed into each other, one who would soon gore the other. Even though Zie expected it, he still gave a start when the glowing figure appeared in the doorway. They were so much clearer, so much more present than the other ghosts, the fine details all present down to the delicate silver earrings of dangling stars. The tragedy of their beloved soldier played out again, and again they vanished from the courtyard. Zie hurried up the stairs. He found them at the third turning of the stairs on a wide landing with a window overlooking the courtyard. The ghost searched the night even though the ghostly battle had faded, spectral tears streaming down their face. A beautiful face. Selak, though Zie found himself unable to estimate their age. The ghost’s image shivered and jumped, reappearing directly in front of Zie to address him directly. “Have you seen my ishai? Tell me! Any of them?” There could be a wrong or right answer to that, or it might make no difference. If Zie chose incorrectly, he might have to try again the following evening. He had seen one of their ishai, he suspected, but they’d already seen him fall. That wasn’t what they were asking, and to lie to them felt cruel. “No, honored. I haven’t seen them.” The selak spirit stood frozen for two heartbeats, then flickered back to the window. “Someone will return to me. They have not all fallen. All seven cannot have fallen. I will wait.” Oh, honored, you’ve waited so long. Again, he debated, and again concluded that the crueler option would be to tell them that all their beloveds had died centuries ago. “I wondered if I might ask you a question.” They sighed and answered without turning toward Zie. “You may ask, though I am not well-traveled. I may not have your answer.” Odd thing to say. “Can you advise me on banishing summoned Shadows?” “They summoned Shadows for the siege?” Now the spirit turned to him with a horrified expression. “Not here, honored. Elsewhere. They were summoned far away.” They leaned against the window casement, expression thoughtful. How ghosts thought without a physical brain, Zie had no idea, but this one apparently did. “Summonings require a cycle. And Shadows must be fed.” Zie took a breath before he spoke so he wouldn’t convey his frustration. “They’ve fed until they should have burst from it. I can’t—” Zie’s voice broke and he had to clear his throat. “I can’t allow them to feed any more.” “Complete the cycle or they will never cease.” The selak spirit turned back to the window and faded away. “Wait! What cycle? What do you mean?” But they wouldn’t be called back. Zie stood in the empty tower, shivering and gnawing on his claws, envisioning the Shadows devouring every sylvas in the entire world. Never cease. Once done, they would begin to feed on every other living thing until nothing remained. A barren world in which nothing moved but the horrible chittering Shadows. With a nearly audible snap, his nerve broke. He raced down the uneven steps and across the courtyard, moon shadows chasing his steps and taunting him. Faster and faster he ran, over tumbled blocks and ancient bones, and finally up the steps to the undamaged tower to dive under the blankets with Davs. The big man grunted and cracked an eye open. “Managed to scare yourself, after all?” “Perhaps a touch.” “All clear still?” Zie nodded against his shoulder. “I’ll know when they’re close, believe me.” “All right. Come here. You’re ice cold.” Davs wrapped his strong arms around Zie and pulled him close. “No more ghost viewing for you.” It happened that Rolli did have belongings. He’d left them with his edlak, Bramble, and had been too drunk to retrieve them the night before or to see to her stabling. Luckily, she was smarter than her owner and had stayed near the inn, happily grazing.
Essenin shook their head in disgust as they watched Rolli try to catch her trailing reins, which she kept jerking out of his hands. All right. It was a little funny. But they were impatient to be on their way. When they finally ran out of patience, they took a tash root from their pouch, held it out, and called, “Bramble!” Her ears pricked forward. Ah, she remembers me. She picked her head up and trotted over eagerly to accept the treat while Essenin caught her reins. Rolli heaved a sigh and snatched the reins. “You don’t have to be so perfect all the time.” “You need to say that where my aunties can hear you.” Essenin backed Sidle up so Rolli had room to mount. “Are you ready? Will there be angry people chasing us out of town?” “Not this time.” Rolle squinted in the sunlight, his expression uncertain. “At least I don’t think so.” No one did shout, chase or throw things after them as they rode off, something of a small miracle. They both rode in silence for an entire mile, but neither of them were naturally taciturn people, and Essenin realized they weren’t that annoyed with Rolli. Curiosity finally got the better of them. “Why were you trying to drink yourself to death?” “Not to death. Goddesses no. Just to kill the pain.” Rolli let out a tragic sigh and Essenin kept quiet to give him space for his story. “I’d found the most wonderful situation with a titled landowner. In exchange for music when he required it and several nights a week in his bed—not a chore since he wasn’t bad looking—I had a lovely room of my own, food whenever I was hungry, and a comfortable stipend. Perfect. Everything was perfect. I thought my wandering days were finally over.” Essenin knew the pause for a spot where they were supposed to say something. “And then?” “And then Loric’s mother badgered him into getting married.” “That should’ve been good? Two patrons instead of one?” Essenin puzzled this through for a moment. “Is this one of those one exclusive partner human things?” “I could’ve lived with being kicked out of his bed. We enjoyed each other’s company but we weren’t desperately in love.” Rolli slumped, the picture of abject dejection. “But she didn’t like me.” “Imagine that.” Essenin’s voice was devoid of expression. “I could’ve been an asset to the household! Entertained guests. Played for the ladies at their sewing. Taught the children.” “There were children?” “Well, eventually. One assumes there would be.” Rolli gave a dismissive wave. “But no. Loric told me to pack up and get out. Kicked me out of my cozy, sunny room and my safe, easy life. To keep the peace, he said. Sorry, my dear, you understand. I cracking well did not. But he wouldn’t hear any arguments, so I got tossed out on my lovely ass.” Essenin did not fall for the shameless compliment fishing. “I see.” “There. I’ve told my story.” Rolli turned his sewa around on its strap and began tuning it. “Now let’s hear yours.” Careful to leave out bits that Zie might feel were too personal, Essenin told the tale, from first spotting Zie at the inn to them splitting up to confound the Shadows and find an elder mahk. By the time they’d finished, Rolli was staring at him in horror. “These monsters are following you?” “No. Rolli, you don’t listen. The monsters are following Zie. He went the other way so he wouldn’t lead them to the sylvas.” “Oh.” Rolli put a hand to his chest and blew out a slow breath. “Yes. Sorry. I got stuck on the formless unstoppable monsters part.” “Sorry.” Essenin cringed inwardly. It’s a lot to take in and I dumped it on him all at once, someone who’s never even held a weapon in his life. “But none of that will get near you, Rolls. You take me to the sylvas and then you can head in the opposite direction.” “Are you sure you don’t want to run away with me?” Rolli sighed when Essenin glared at him. “No, no, I wasn’t serious. Mostly. But this does seem like a sylvas problem, doesn’t it? Generally ignoring humans, possessing but not otherwise harming selaks. Shouldn’t they be solving this?” “The one that survived is trying his best to do just that.” Essenin shot him another dark look and Rolli flushed. “I’m not asking you to approve and I’m not asking you to be even a little bit of a hero.” “Right.” Rolli’s laugh had a pained, brittle quality. “That would be absurd.” “Now we’re all caught up and everything’s been explained. Where do you suggest we start?” “Oh, probably best to start at the Tzak compound.” Rolli pointed up the valley to the east. “They’re centrally located and talk to most of the clans here.” “And they’re still speaking to you.” Rolli nodded. “And most importantly, they’re still speaking to me.” Ghosts weren’t one thing, but three quite different phenomena, though they all had to do with the memories of the dead.
Most spirit sightings were simply memories of events so traumatic they had left a psychic imprint on the world. Those played out the same scenes again and again, sometimes every night, sometimes on specific anniversaries, and the ghost participants were unaware of the world around them. Shades were spirits unable to leave the world because of attachments of guilt, sorrow or rage, or justice not done, or because they had been cursed to wander. Revenants were the vengeful souls, and those did active harm. Zie only feared the revenants and Davitts had said nothing dangerous lurked in the old fortress, therefore there was nothing to fear. So he told himself repeatedly as he descended the stairs from their tower room where Davitts slept soundly. Zie had volunteered to take the second watch, the late hours of the night when ghosts were more likely to appear. Though he hadn’t told Davitts that. Good thing no one was keeping a tally of the things he hadn’t told Davitts. Knowledge of the island’s history would’ve been helpful, but it wasn’t crucial. He just needed to stay alert and piece the clues together. The alert part would be easy. The excitement of uncovering a ghost history had set his heart racing. On bare, silent feet, he crept into the central courtyard and crouched near the rubble of the ruined main doors. This had to have been a site of battle. The memories would linger most strongly here, he was sure of it. Though Davitts had said it wasn’t always haunted, which could mean many things. The haunting might occur at a certain point in the moon cycle. Perhaps the attack came during a rainstorm and the weather would have to be right. Maybe it was only on the first day of the month. A flaming arrow sailed over the wall and speared the dirt not three feet from him. Zie choked off a cry of alarm when the flames surrounding the shaft spread. Colorless, lit by a soft, eldritch glow, they were only the memory of flames. The ghost attack had begun. A figure in old-fashioned scale armor appeared out of the gloom to stomp out the flames and shout toward the main keep, though he made no sound. Soldiers ran to assist and to form determined rows in front of the doors, which Zie saw clearly now, whole and standing, closed and barred against the enemy. Archers on the wall returned fire as the doors shuddered—silently, all the frenetic activity rendered eerie in that silence. Something was dumped from the wall above the door, perhaps oil or pitch, and the doors stopped their rhythmic shivering, though only for a moment. Taur warriors joined the defenders in the courtyard now, four enormous soldiers armed with swords longer than Zie was tall, prepared to act as the first line of defense. A mixed force of humans, Taur and selak, Zie realized, so it was not one of those times in history or one of those places that had pitted race against race. He wished he knew more about such things outside sylvas lands so he could pinpoint how long ago the battle had occurred, but it wasn’t a vital bit of information. A number of centuries ago judging by the state of the few remaining bones. The doors shattered and the attackers poured in, taur matching taur with silent roars, warriors cut down on both sides under the arch of the sundered doors. No matter how many of the attacking force fell, more climbed over the debris and the dead to take their places. Badly outnumbered, the defenders were forced to give ground step by step. Perhaps they had been in the wrong. Perhaps the attackers were seeking justice. But Zie still found it sad to watch such a brave defense fail. He would have made himself anxious and ill if he’d forced himself to watch the slaughter. But that wasn’t why he’d come. His gaze swept the edges of the haunting, searching for anything…not right.The haunting was an amalgamation of the memories of everyone who had died in that battle. The images blurred and juddered, sometimes flickering back to a particular action several times. One of the taur warriors fell, gored by the horns of an enemy taur, and behind him… Yes. There. A figure stood in the doorway to one of the partially ruined towers, one hand stretched toward the battle, an ancient wind rippling the edges of their robes. They shone like moonlight through high clouds, their movements smooth and elegant. A shade. Another figure in armor ran toward them, shouting, gesticulating, the meaning obvious. Go back inside! Stay clear of the fighting! The armored figure fell, pierced through the back with the thick-shafted arrow from an arbalest. At the door, the shade screamed a single, anguished word, perhaps the warrior’s name, before they vanished, only to reappear in a window halfway up the tower, a lantern in hand. They gazed out into the night as the ghostly memories of the long-ago battle gradually faded. When the last dying warrior had vanished, the shade remained in silent vigil. That would be the place, then, if he wished to speak with them. Zie turned to head back to the tower where Davitts slept, determined to try the next evening. Perhaps Davitts knew a little bit about the history of the area, and it would be best to go armed with some knowledge rather than none. In the top room, he bent to check if Davitts had woken, but he remained peacefully asleep, and Zie moved to the window to watch the shoreline for the remainder of the night. While they had views of most of the lakeshore, there was no need to watch in all directions. The Shadows would come on his trail, following whatever senses they had. The moonlight painted shadows along the shore, but these were harmless, everyday things. No summoned creatures of darkness stalked the banks. Not yet. Essenin’s morning started with one of the three most unpleasant sounds one could hear upon waking—someone being violently sick. They rolled over and saw with relief that at least Rolli was heaving into the chamber pot.
“Well, good morning to you, too,” Essenin offered at their driest when Rolli had finished. “Oh no.” Rolli groaned as he replaced the lid with shaking hands. “You’re still here. You weren’t a dream and you’re seeing me like this. If you ever loved me, kill me now.” “Since I never loved you, I suppose I can abstain from murder today.” Essenin began to climb out of bed, realized they were in only their small clothes, and wrapped a sheet around first. Rolli clutched his chest. “Ow. Heart torn to shreds already. It’s all right. I can just die on my own.” He curled up on the floor with his head buried in his arms. “No sympathy from me. You did this to yourself.” While Essenin tried to sound stern, they still poured a cup of water and set it by Rolli’s elbow. “Drink that. Slowly. Give me a moment and I’ll go down for morning-after necessities.” The ragged moan might have been gratitude. Essenin chose to pretend it was. The contortions they performed while getting dressed behind the sheet might have been interesting under other circumstances. Right then, it was annoying. Dressed and braids untied from their night scarf, Essenin hurried to the kitchen and procured bitter root for the headache, tea for the near-death feeling, and some thinly sliced, buttered tubers that would soak up the worst of the nausea. Playing nursemaid to a drunk. This is part of the reason we didn’t work. Still, Essenin reminded themself that they needed information. All for a good cause. They sat with Rolli while he pulled his sorry self back from the brink, then marched him down to the bathhouse to get him presentable. Maybe not for high society, but at least for Essenin’s poor nose. His clothes…Essenin was tempted to have them burned, but they sent them to the inn’s laundry instead and let Rolli sulk in the room wrapped in a blanket. If he had belongings, and therefore a change of clothes, goddesses only knew where those were. “So why are you here?” Rolli finally managed coherently and almost civilly. “It’s a bit of a story, and not all mine to tell.” Essenin went to the window to stare at the view of the mountains, lit up in gold and blue on this bright, clear day. “Do you know where the sylvas are?” “The sylvas?” “Yes.” Essenin turned, narrowing their eyes. “Small, dark-haired people. Generally pale. Lovely, tufted ears.” “I know who they are, Ess. But why in all watery hells would you be looking for them?” “No, no, no. You’re very bad at this. You answer my question first.” Rolli twisted the blanket in both hands, exposing an expanse of lean leg. “On your side of the ocean, they live in the northlands. Here, they live in the mountains. Everyone knows that, generally.” “Uh-huh. And do you know anything more specifically about the sylvas here?” “Ah, you haven’t come to rescue me at all.” Rolli pulled his feet up onto the bed and rested his head on his knees. “Not even a hint of, Rolli, how have you been? or, Rolli, why are you in such a sorry state? Lovely. Everyone just wants to use me.” “Will you please stop feeling sorry for yourself? It won’t work and it’s irritating. I happened to see you in a sorry state and I did help you.” Essenin rolled their eyes when Rolli sniffled. “But I have more important things to do than to keep babysitting you.” “I don’t give out information for nothing, you know,” Rolli said to his knees, all wounded sulk. “Part of the job. Though I’m willing to negotiate.” “If you have real information, and you’re not just angling for sex, I’ll pay you as a guide.” The promise of coin lifted Rolli’s head, sure enough, though his eyes were red rimmed and swimming. Hard to tell what was an act sometimes. Bards. “All right. I do know where some of the sylvas compounds are. I’ve visited several.” “And are they going to shoot you full of arrows if they see you again?” “What? No! What a mean thing to say.” The wide-eyed affront was well done. “There’s only one where I’m not welcome back. That was not my fault.” “Oh, Rolls.” Essenin rubbed the center of their forehead where the hint of a headache had started. “What did you do?” “I didn’t know!” Rolli protested. “No one told me you have to clear propositions with the older siblings first! She was an adult, a lovely bit of delicate ferocity. How was I to know?” Essenin had to bite their bottom lip to keep from laughing. “You could try not going after every single person who takes your fancy? Maybe?” “That’s not a fair characterization at all. I only proposition the most exquisite people. The most astoundingly beautiful.” Rolli flashed his brightest smile. “Don’t start. We will not be picking up where we were before and you know why. The suggestions, the pestering, the heartfelt confessions—no more.” Essenin turned and held a hand out. “You take me to the sylvas. I pay you for your time. Done?” “I get paid and get to look at you along the way?” There. The familiar mischievous sparkle had returned to Rolli’s eyes. That was better. He grasped Essenin’s forearm to seal the agreement. “Done.” This is probably a mistake, but at least I know he won’t lead me off into the mountains to murder me and he does play the sewa beautifully. If Rolli managed not to be too annoying, Essenin would definitely feel better not traveling alone. |
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About Angel
Angel writes (mostly) Science Fiction and Fantasy centered around queer heroes. Currently living part time in the hectic sprawl of northern Delaware and full time inside her head, she has one husband, one son, two cats, a love of all things beautiful and a terrible addiction to the consumption of both knowledge and chocolate. |
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